Are we witnessing the coming of age of Bradley Wiggins as stage racer?

It seems an unusual question to ask of such an accomplished rider, but Wiggins ascendancy to a new level cannot be denied.

An unshakable confidence first witnessed at Paris-Nice last month could be seen in abundance in yesterday’s stage and overall victory at the Tour of Romandie.

Starting the day second on GC, surrounded by a plethora of time trialing talent, at the end of a race in which he had already given his all on at least two days, Wiggins simply got on his bike and delivered.

He would scarcely have chosen to lose his chain, but by doing so, was afforded an opportunity to demonstrate his new serenity; a rider far removed from the one who threw down his bike following a mechanical in the 2009 world time trial championships.

Mentally, it seems, a bridge has been crossed. His grace under pressure during yesterday’s time trial could only be considered an aberration by those who had failed to witness stage one, where, presented with an opportunity for victory, he simply took it, regardless of how unlikely the circumstances.

Just over a fortnight ago, Dave Brailsford spoke of the significance of Wiggins’ final day time trial victory at Paris-Nice, another win against the clock that also netted the Londoner overall victory. Brailsford spoke of the physical prowess required to deliver a top-drawer performance at the end of a hard week of racing, and the confidence with which Wiggins now conducts himself as team leader. The Londoner proved his boss right again on both counts yesterday.

Brailsford spoke also of the vital importance of the ‘engine room’ to Team Sky’s Tour ambitions. It played a very obvious role last week in Romandie with riders of the quality of Geraint Thomas, Richie Porte, and yes, even Mark Cavendish working for Wiggins gave a very real indication of just how well they could function as a unit in July (sans Thomas, of course – the Welshman has chosen to focus on the Olympic Games this summer).

Brailsford’s pledge at the launch of Team Sky was to produce a British winner of the Tour de France within five years. The only candidate for such a victory was Wiggins, newly arrived from Garmin, and fresh from a career high fourth at the Tour. Many questioned Sky’s optimism and the ability of Wiggins to produce another performance of the quality that had carried him to within touching distance of the podium.

Now, in only their third season, and with the recruitment of the best sprinter in the world, the questions surrounding Team Sky’s ambition and Wiggins’ ability have been replaced by new questions, centred principally on how much they can win: are they overreaching themselves in targeting the green and the yellow jerseys?

Time will tell, of course. Only a fool would doubt Cavendish’s ability to return to form for the Tour, and his work in Romandie for Wiggins as surely the most super of super domestiques completed a role reversal begun with the Londoner’s sprint victory on stage one.

The Tour hasn’t yet started, far less been won, but Wiggins and Team Sky have done themselves no harm in replicating Cadel Evans’ most significant early-season win of last season. Can Wiggins replicating the Australian’s achievements in July? Here’s hoping.